Sirens
by Wordsforwanderers
Summary: Growing up in NYC wasn't easy, and having a father who is one of the biggest mob bosses in the city hasn't made it any easier. (Short summary because I'm not that good at them)
1. Chapter 1

**Okay guys so this is a new story that I have been currently writing, (no Superstar isn't over, I'm just taking a break from only writing that) It's kind of inspired by Cher Lloyd's song Sirens, so if you haven't listened to that / watched the music video you should cause it's great!**

**This story is going to be a lot darker than Superstar, (I haven't quite decided how dark, it will just be based on how comfortable I am writing) and there will be vulgar language and possible trigger warnings. Please know that I am no making fun of or ridiculing anyone or anything that I write about in these stories. I don't want to offend anyone. **

**There is a moment in this chapter however that Clary has a "dance scene" (it will make sense when you read it haha) and if you would like to see the dance that I based it off of go to Youtube and watch _Express sung by Christina Aguleria from the movie Burlesque. _**

**I'm nervous about this story and how well it may or may not do, but I hope you guys enjoy it...**

* * *

Growing up in New York City wasn't easy, and growing up the daughter of one of the cities biggest mob bosses didn't help much. You'd think because of the amount of power her father held would earn her some kind of street cred, and maybe it would have, if her father actually liked her. She was the daughter he never wanted, who got pregnant at 18 out of wed-lock and ruined his life, and he loved reminding her of that whenever he had the chance.

Valentine owned half of the cities strip clubs and bars in Brooklyn, and like any _great_ father would, he pushed Clary into performing, telling her that she needed to "earn her keep" since she was useless in the family business, and he was supporting not only her, but her daughter now too. No, she wasn't a stripper, she was a _dancer._ A Burlesque dancer to be exact, _much classier. _

"Clary you're on!" Magnus called up the steps as the red head finalized her makeup in her lighted vanity.

"Good luck Mommy," Clary's four year old daughter said with a smile, looking up from a My Little Pony coloring book. Clary bent down and kissed the crown of the little girl's head and inhaled deeply. "Remember...stay up here. Do not go down there Samantha, under any circumstances," Clary scolded. The last thing she needed was her daughter seeing her scantly dressed, thinking it's the norm. The little girl rolled her eyes exaggeratedly and heaved out a heavy sigh. "I know mama, you tell me every day." Clary kissed her daughter one more time before she stood up and brushed her hands down the robe that covered her body

Her stiletto heels clicked against the concrete floor as she made her way towards the stairs and down to the stage, where all girl's who were performing along side her stood. Clary walked over to the only friend she had at the club, Maia, who was smiling. All of the girls were dressed pretty similarly, clad in a jet black leather corset, that pressed their boobs together, and so far up, that you never would guess Clary was only a b-cup. Her red hair cascaded down her back and over her shoulders in ringlets and her legs were barely covered in a thin layer of leather that her costume designer called shorts but Clary wasn't sure there was enough fabric for them to even constitute as clothing.

"Ready?" She asked and Clary nodded, wringing her hands together and shaking them out nervously. "Jordan is here tonight," Maia squeaked. "Jon is too," Clary grumbled and Maia shook her head.

"One minute!" Trey, the sound tech yelled down to the girls who were all standing behind the curtain.

The girls got into position Clary straddling the chair that was in the center of the stage, calming her mind before the curtain rose and the lights flashed on, immediately warming up her body.

Throughout the dance Clary would steal glances at the table her brother and Jordan were at, she noticed that there were three other guys sitting with them. Through all of the smoke and amount of times she had to whip her hair around she couldn't quite make out who they were, but the discussion looked heated.

At the end of the song she made eye contact with her brother who shook his head, telling her to stay away but she really wasn't one to listen. "Who are they?" Maia asked arching an eyebrow, drinking in the tall dark haired men that were sitting with Jonathan. "I'm about to find out," Clary grumbled. "What about the next set?" Maia scoffed as Clary began walking away. "I'll be there. Give me three minutes," Clary called over her shoulder.

She maneuvered around the tables avoiding the hands of drunk men who were trying to grab at her legs, and stopped in between two of the men that were sat with Jonathan and Jordan. They had striking black hair, while the third was more of a dull brown. "Hello, fellas," Clary sighed putting on a sultry smile, ignoring the glare her brother was shooting her. "Enjoying the show?" She asked winking at one of the men beside her, his hand moving up to the small of her back, "We seemed to have missed the last act, care to replay for us?" Shamelessly he squeezed her ass. Inside she was gagging, and wanted nothing more than to knock his teeth out, but she just giggled and shook her head.

"Clarissa, don't you have a job to do?"

"I only came over to see if anyone needed anything," she smiled brightly at Jonathan and then back at the mystery men. "Why don't you come back after your shift and I'll show you what I need," the groping stranger said with a wink and another squeeze.  
"If you don't get your hands off of her I'll make sure you never get your needs met again," Jonathan growled and Clary saw Jordan shooting him a warning look.

The guy, who was _still_ touching Clary's ass chuckled, "This your bitch Morgenstern?" Clary flinched at the nickname but bit her tongue. Jonathan's venomous gaze traveled between Clary and the dark haired man now, "She's my little sister," he said through clenched teeth, which only seemed to amuse the man more. "So you're the other Morgenstern," He looked up at Clary, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"I have to make a call," The dull brown haired kid said standing abruptly from the table. "Well you know what they say," the guy, who Clary now assumed was in charge, said and she arched an eyebrow curiously. The man looked away from Clary and beamed at Jonathan, "The best fruit is always forbidden." And with that he swatted at Clary's butt making Jonathan stand firmly from his seat.

"Clarissa, I think it's time you get back to work," he growled and as much as she wanted to protest and defy her brother she did have another dance coming up and needed to change still.

Rolling her eyes she winked at men at the table, blowing a kiss and waving, just to set her brother over the edge. As she made her way toward the backstage door, she was completely aware of the fact that Jonathan was following her. "You shouldn't be bringing strangers here Jon. It's too-" but before she could finish her sentence Jonathan had her spun around, pressing her back against the nearest wall, his hand circling around her throat.

"You ever interrupt a meeting like that again," he growled his grip tightening as Clary tried prying his hand away from her neck. "I can promise that father will hear about it. Wouldn't want to have to explain another black eye to Sammie now would we?" The look in his eyes was one Clary was all too familiar with.

He loosened his grip enough for Clary to push him away as violently as she could "Fuck you," she grunted with a cough. Jonathan swung his hand through the air, backhanding Clary on the side of the face causing her body to jolt to the side. "Get back to work," he growled shoving the metal door open, leaving Clary in the hall by herself.

After allowing herself a few seconds to collect herself she hurried toward the steps so she could do a quick change and be ready for her next set, everyone was going to be held up because of her, but she really didn't care. Maia was watching Samantha when Clary climbed to the top step, and as soon as her friend took one look at Clary she stood the little girl up and brought her to the back room where all the props were at, so Sammie could play with them.

It was a rule amongst the girls not to try and pry in Clary's life, none of them wanted the added drama anyway, but Maia always silently helped her cover up any blemishes when needed. "Sammie drew you a picture," She said dabbing a sponge onto Clary's face, foundation covering up the bright red mark that was probably going to leave a prominent welt for a few days. Clary's eyes wandered to her vanity table and saw two stick figures holding hands, a big purple house, and orange barn behind them, with, what Clary could only assume were, cats, dogs, and horses lined up beside them.

Samantha had a dream that one day the two of them would live on a farm. She had a fascination with animals that Clary found endearing, but also disheartening at the same time. They lived in the city, and unless she some how won the lottery, there was no way she was leaving anytime soon.

"Tough Lover is next," Maia said with a side smile and Clary nodded, checking her cheek in the mirror when her friend was done. It looked close to normal, Sammie wouldn't ask questions, she knew not to.

"I'm gonna go check on-" Before Clary could get her words out the sound of gun shots reverberated up the stair case. Her heart jumped in her chest and Maia was up on her feet. "Jordan!" She exclaimed bounding for the stairs but Clary caught her arm. "Maia don't go down there," She said pulling her friend back, trying to yell over the chaos that had now ensued in the dressing room around them. Girls were screaming, clothes were flying everywhere, clearly they didn't grow up in the same lifestyle as Clary had. "I have to see if he's okay," Maia said pulling her arm out of Clary's grasp and before she could reach out again Maia was gone.

"Sammie," Clary said quietly to herself. "Sammie!" She yelled, louder this time, pushing through panicking girls to get to the prop room where her daughter was supposed to be. Samantha was sitting in a corner, her small hands covering her ears. Clary scooped her up in her arms and searched around the room for some kind of hide out. There was a small chance that who ever was downstairs would come up here, but there was still a chance non-the-less. "Shhhh," She cooed as Samantha pressed her face into Clary's shoulder, wrapping her arms tighter around her neck.

More shots rang out and Clary darted for the emergency fire escape, holding on tightly to her daughter. Pushing up against the sill, she swore under her breath realizing that the windows were bolted down. "I need you to stay quite Sammie, okay?" She said softly rubbing the little girls back. "I have to put you down for a second." Trying to pry Samantha off of her only made the little girl cling tighter. "Mama's right here," she whispered. "I just have to take my shoes off and I can't do that if I'm holding you."

Samantha loosened her arms around Clary's neck and she quickly unraveled her daughter from around her, slipping out of her six inch high heels, tossing them to the side. "Okay baby come on," she said holding out her hand for Samantha to grab onto.

When the little girls fingers wrapped around hers, Clary slowly made her way to the stairs. It had been a few minutes since she heard any gunshots, although there was still voices yelling.

They descended the stairs, Clary kept having to shush Sammie, who was whimpering behind her. The back door was in her sights and there seemed to be no one else around, in the hall.

"Just a little further and everything will be alright," Clary said trying to smile down at Samantha who was clinging onto her leg.

The sound of her bear feet hitting the ground echoed through the hall and as soon as she reached the heavy metal door shoved it open with her shoulder.

The ally was quite, Clary could still hear the screams of people inside, and she pulled Samantha closer. "It's okay," She hummed, "I'm gonna Uncle Jon."

It picked up on the fourth ring and Clary blew out a breath of relief "Jonathan I'm in the ally behind the club, what the hell is going on?" She blurted out, but there was no reply. "Jon!" She yelled, making Samantha squeeze her leg tighter. "I have Sammie with me, please just send someone to come get her."

There was a click and then the dial tone buzzed through her phone and she pursed her lips together. There was a distinct sound of tires squealing and a car excelerating from around the other side of the club and she backed up against the wall. The cool brick touching the bare skin of her back made her jump.

She saw headlights and heard voices, but none that she recognized right away. Samantha whimpered and Clary kneeled down so she was eye level with her.

"She said she was out here," she heard a man say and sucked in a sharp breath.

"Well where the fuck is she?" Another man growled. "We need to get out of here we already lost Damon."

"If we don't bring her back he'll be pissed."

Samantha latched onto Clary pushing her backwards, knocking her into the dumpster, and the voices stopped. "Bring her out," the first man grumbled, Clary could just make out their shadows, but their faces were hidden by the dark.

The sound of a car door opening and closing echoed between the alleyway walls and there were sounds of a struggle. "Clarissa," The man sang out and Clary pressed her lips together. "We have a friend here who would love to talk to you," he added. "Why don't you come out and see who it is?"

"Don't do it Clary!"

Clary gasped and held a hand over her mouth. Maia.

"Aunt Maia!" Samantha yelled turning on her heel to bolt around the dumpster. "Sammie!" Clary screamed reaching for her daughter and in-turn exposing herself to the two men she had been hearing.

Samantha stopped in her tracks and Clary scooped her up in her arms. One of the men, had an arm wrapped around Maia's throat, the barrel of a gun pressed to her temple. "There you are," A man in a grey t-shirt said with a sly smile, and Clary realized he was the one feeling her up not even thirty minutes ago.

"Grab her," he growled and Clary turned to run but was stopped by a pair of strong arms wrapping her up from behind. She hadn't noticed a third guy, she should've noticed him. She swore to herself, trying to pull away but with Sammie in her arms it wasn't all that easy. "Take the girl," the guy holding Maia at gun point said.

The man in the grey t-shirt advanced toward them and she heard Maia whimper an apology making a lump form in her throat.

Grey t-shirt grabbed ahold of Sammie, prying her off Clary, but the little girl put up a fight, flailing around, trying to throw herself down, reaching for Clary.

"No!" Clary shrieked. "Please don't take her, _please,_" she cried but the man behind her was holding her arms back. "Mommy!" Samantha screamed and Clary felt hot tears running down her cheeks.

He put her in the back of an all blak rolls Royce and slammed the door. "Sammie!" Clary yelled. "Shut up," the guy behind her growled, squeezing her arms tighter. "Don't hurt her, please. I'll do anything please, just let her go," Clary pleaded and the grey t-shirt guy chuckled.

"Anything eh?"

"Keep it in your pants for two minutes Verlac," The man that had ahold of Clary said.

"We aren't going to hurt her. The same however can't be said for this one," Grey t-shirt's or, _Verlac_ Clary guessed now, finger traced under Maia's chin and she strained to pull away.

"No! No, you don't have to," Clary said quickly. "Just take me," she pleaded.

"Oh we intend to, but you see," he paused and chuckled. "She got one of our guys killed."

Clary looked at Maia and shook her head. She knew the rules. "They were gonna kill Jordan," she whimpered and Clary's body sunk in.

"Maia," Clary whispered defeatedly. "Take her around back," Grey t-shirt said and the guy behind Clary, whirled her around pushing her towards a black SUV that had pulled up to the other side of the alleyway.

Clary kicked and screamed and did everything she could to try and get herself free, but it was no use. She was shoved into the backseat, but before he slammed the door she heard three gunshots.

Her chest felt like it was going to cave in. She slammed her hands against the window that was between her and the driver until one of the backseat doors opened up and the man they called Verlac slid in, wiping his hands on his jeans.

"Go," he yelled to the driver and the car lurched forward.

"Oh I'm sorry," he said with a smile. "Names Sebastian," he offered her his hand but Clary stayed still, pressed against the door to her left, as far away from him as she could get.

He just shrugged and chuckled. "Where is my daughter?"

"Don't worry about her."

"Don't worry about her? Are you fucking kidding me?" She yelled. "Let me out of this car," she yelled hitting her hand against the glad again.

Sebastian grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back, his other hand twisting around her throat. "If you don't shut up, you won't see your daughter again."

"Hey!" One of the men in the front yelled back. "Don't touch her!"

With a grimace, Sebastian let go of her, but not before he shoved her forward into the door.

**. . . .**

It took thirteen minutes for them to reach where ever they were taking her.

The Ritz Hotel?

Clary looked at Sebastian from the corner of her eye and he pulled a gun from his waistband.

"They said you can't touch me," Clary said arching an eyebrow.

"You want to test me?" He asked, narrowing his eyes and for a second Clary almost did, but she couldn't chance it with Samantha being God knows where.

They took her in a back door, to some kind of storage room. "You take me to a fancy hotel just to put me in a basement?" She scoffed and Sebastian pushed the barrel of the gun into her back. "Keep walking."

"Where am I going?"

"The boss wants to see you."

"And who is that?" Clary asked stumbling forward when Sebastian pulled her around a corner. "Stop here," he instructed and knocked on the door. A girl answered, she had light brown hair and grey eyes. She looked Clary up and down and then nodded, opening the door further.

Sebastian pushed Clary inside, there was a poker table in the center of the room, and a bar in the far right corner. The girl who answered the door for the three men and Clary, knocked on a smaller door that was barely noticeable.

It opened slowly and then a figured stepped out, she couldn't see who it was at first but when he walked into the light she saw that his hair wasn't even close to being as dark as the others, it was blond and long and his eyes seemed to shimmer gold. She swallowed the lump in her throat, her mouth suddenly gone dry.

"Jace."


	2. Chapter 2

He just stared at her. His eyes traveling up and down her body, and then it hit her that she was still in her tight black outfit from work. Self consciously wrapping her arms around her waist she cleared her throat and Jace's eyes found hers.

"Does daddy know you're working in a whore house?" Jace flat lined and Clary scoffed.

"Who do you think put me there?"

Jace shrugged and tilted his head to the side slightly. "Tessa take her upstairs," he said looking away from Clary and towards the girl to his right. "No," Clary protested and Jace arched an eyebrow. "Where is she?"

"Who?" Jace asked

"My daughter," Clary said clenching down on her jaw.

"She's safe," he shrugged adverting his gaze away from Clary again.

"No," she scoffed. "No that's not good enough. I want to know _where_ she is." She took a few steps forward and heard shuffling behind her. Probably Sebastian and the other two men who brought her here, but Clary saw Jace hold up a finger, warding them off.

"If you cooperate, you get her back," Jace said coolly and Clary shook her head. "And if I don't?" She challenged, now standing practically chest to chest with him.

Jace bent down slightly so he was almost eye level with her. Clary could smell liquor and cigarettes on his breath. "The body won't be hard to hide," he played and in a whirl Clary raised her hand and slapped him as hard as she could across the face.

In a matter of seconds she was on the ground and Sebastian had his hands on her throat. There was a gun shot and Clary closed her eyes preparing for the pain but instead she found relief. Sebastian cried out and fell off of her, holding his shoulder.

Clary coughed and sat up slowly, Jace had a gun in his hand and Sebastian was on the ground next to her swearing as his shoulder bled profusely.

"What the fuck?" He growled through clenched teeth.

"I said don't touch her," Jace said with a shrug. "Tessa," he said louder this time. Clary heard the girl come forward from behind her.

"Take her upstairs," Jace reiterated. "Give her something to change into so she doesn't look like a cheap hooker."

The girl named Tessa held her hand out for Clary to help her up and she took it reluctantly.

Jace never looked at her again as she got up and walked out of the room.

"You two know each other then," Tessa said as she closed the door behind Clary, and Clary just rolled her eyes.

"You could say that," she muttered, entering the elevator.

"Your daughter is safe," Tessa said with a sigh and Clary snapped her head to face her. "How do you know?"

Tessa shook her head and motioned for Clary to get out when the elevator doors opened. Rolling her eyes Clary pushed herself away from the wall and stomped into an extravagant hotel room. The penthouse she assumed. "If you wait here I'll be back with some clothes for you to put on. My room is a couple floors down," Tessa said with a light smile that Clary rejected. "Do I have a choice of whether or not I'm going to stay here?" She huffed and Tessa sighed hitting a button the elevator, disappearing as the doors closed.

Clary was exhausted. She didn't want to be here, not in this hotel, with these people, and especially not with Jace. They didn't have to best past between the two of them and she didn't feel like reliving all of it.

All she could think about was Samantha. Where she was. Who she was with. If she really was safe. It made her sick thinking about it, guilt settling in her stomach.

Tessa came back with a small basket of clothes, "I wasn't sure what you'd want so I just grabbed a little of everything," she explained and Clary thanked her, pulling out a pair of black yoga pants and a tank top.

It was about an hour before the elevator signaled that someone else was coming up after Tessa left and Clary didn't even bother looking to see who it was.

"Hungry?" He asked and Clary shook her head, keeping her eyes trained on the television.

Jace sat down beside her, a tray of room service prepared food on the coffee table in front of him. She was hungry, but she didn't want anything from him.

"We are going to have to wake up early to fly to Chicago." He informed Clary and she stared at the side of his face. "Is that where my daughter is going to be?"

Jace didn't answer, he simply stabbed a piece of steak with his fork and took a bite. "Is she in this hotel?" Clary asked, but again Jace didn't answer. "This city? Is she even alive?" Still no answer.

"Answer me," she yelled shoving his plate off of the coffee table, the food scattered across the floor and the plate shattered. _That _was enough to get a rise out of him.

Grabbing ahold of Clary's hair he pulled her closer to him, she squealed in pain but his face stayed hard. "You need to learn your place," he growled.

Being this close to him gave Clary a clear view of the welt she left on his cheek, and it gave her a kind of satisfaction.

When he let go she fell backwards onto the couch. "Why am I here?" She asked quietly and Jace stood up. "You should probably get to bed," he said. "I'll sleep on the couch."

**. . . . .**

Tessa came in Clary's room at 5:25 a.m. to wake her up for a flight that was supposedly taking them to Chicago.

When she got up to get ready she saw the welt Jonathan had left across her face had barely faded. There was bruising just under her eye, and around her neck. She felt about as horrible as she looked.

There was a private plane waiting for them at the airport and five men, Tessa, Clary and Jace all boarded by 6:30. Sebastian had a sling on his arm, and every time Clary caught his eye he was staring daggers into her head.

It took two and a half hours to get to Chicago. Tessa and Clary were escorted to their hotel, while the men went out and did God knows what. Silently Clary was hoping that Samantha would be there waiting for her, and she cursed herself when she wasn't. She knew she wouldn't be and giving herself that false sense of hope only twisted the knife in her heart more.

Two hours after they arrived and Clary settled herself, as much as she could, into the hotel room she heard Jace enter. He was in a suit that fit his physique so perfectly that Clary had a hard time tearing her eyes away, but she didn't want him to see the look of awe on her face. Jace was a very attractive guy, there was absolutely no denying that, his personality on the other hand...could use a bit of work.

She saw him stop just close enough to her so that she could see him out of her peripheral but she kept her eyes trained on the television. "Haven you eaten anything today?"

"Have I gotten to talk to my daughter?" Clary shot back and she could see Jace shift from one foot to the other, curling and uncurling his fingers at his sides.

"Tell me why I'm here," she challenged and Jace ran a tired hand over his face. "Why were you in New York?"

"Business," Jace said vaguely and Clary rolled her eyes. "If this is some kind of hostage deal you're making so you can get something from my father, it's not going to work," Clary scoffed. "He doesn't give a shit about me. He's probably more upset that he'll have to find another performer."

"That's not why you're here," Jace sighed shaking his head.

"Then why?"

"It's complicated."

"Have you seen my life? I know complicated," She joked, placing her elbows on the table, leaning a bit further toward Jace.

He studied her face for a few lingering moments and she suddenly became extremely self conscious of the markings from the previous night. "Regardless of why you are here right now, it would be in you and your daughters best interest, to do as you are told," Jace said, and Clary arched an eyebrow. "Is that a threat?" She asked narrowing her eyes. He shrugged, leaned back in his chair and folded his arms against his chest.

"You sicken me," She seethed standing up and stomping towards the bedroom, but she stopped in her tracks and whirled back around. As if he knew she would be coming back, Jace was already turned around, facing her. "It's one thing to threaten my life, and my father or brother's life, but to threaten Sammie?" She clenched her jaw and shook her head disgustedly. "How could you threaten her life when she's-"

"What... she's what?" Jace interrupted, stepping towards Clary so they were almost chest to chest, staring challengingly into each other's eyes.

Clary swallowed hard and rolled her tongue over in her mouth a few times. "She's only four. She just a little girl and she is guaranteed to be terrified right now."

"You are a horrible liar Clary," Jace laughed and she took a step away from him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," She said rolling her eyes. "But if I don't get to at least talk to Sammie to know she is alright, I will not comply with anything you have me do," She challanged and Jace arched an eyebrow and let out a soft chuckle. "That so?"

Clary nodded and Jace closed the space between them quickly. "The thing is Clary," Clary's stomach curled when he used her full name, it's not something she was quite used to. "I may not allow anyone else to touch you," He reached up a hand and brushed it softly against her cheek. "But I can do whatever I please," He whispered and Clary's body shivered. His eyes were dark and his hand was settled at the crook of her neck.

"You can hit me as much as you'd like, I'm never going to stop asking for her," She squeaked out with a hard swallow and a smirk flicked onto Jace's mouth.

"How about I make you a deal," Jace said dropping his hand and taking a step back. Clary let out a breath of relief and tried regaining her composer. "I answer one of your questions, if you answer one of mine." She didn't like the sound of that. She knew what he was going to ask, it was pretty obvious, but she needed to know what the hell was going on.

"I get my question answered first," She negotiated and Jace paused for a moment, narrowing his eyes and biting his lip as if he was deliberating. Finally he shrugged and blew out a sigh. "You want to know why you're here," He said rolling his eyes and Clary arched an eyebrow, propping her hands on her hips expectantly.

"There is a hit on your father's gang." Clary scoffed, "When isn't there?" She asked incredulously. "With a with a 3 million dollar reward on his head," Jace added. "And you want to be the one to take him down?" Clary asked with a laugh and Jace gritted his teeth. "You know why," He seethed and Clary sighed, dropping her arms to her sides. "Why did you make such an effort to save _me_ then?"

Jace turned away from Clary and walked towards the kitchen. He pushed up against the counter and dropped his head to his chest, Clary held her breath and waited for the response. "Samantha is my daughter," He finally said gruffly and Clary's mouth felt dry.

"Th-that wasn't a question," She stuttered and Jace turned around, leaning his back against the counter, folding his arms against his chest. "Four years ago," He started. "Don't think I forgot about what happened." He motioned between them with his pointer finger.

"I could've been with other guys," She said shrugging her shoulders, and Jace arched an eyebrow. "Oh I'm sure you could have," He said sarcastically and Clary rolled her eyes. "But were you?" He asked.

Clary swallowed and shifted her eyes away from his for a second, but it was enough to give him the answer he needed, and she heard him let out a strained chuckle. "How long have you known?" She asked quietly, wrapping her arms around her midsection. "A couple months," He shrugged. "I've had some of my men following you," He said nonchalantly. Clary gaped at him, but he just waved her away as if it was nothing.

"Why didn't you tell me about her?"

Clary dropped her arms to her sides, pinching the bridge of her nose and shaking her head. Jace narrowed his eyes and pushed away from the counter. "Because I wasn't going to raise another child with a father that is exactly like mine," She spat and Jace's eyes darkened. "I am nothing like Valentine! How dare you say that!" He barked, standing up straighter in defense, and Clary laughed sarcastically and cast a hand towards him.

"Look at yourself Jace." She paused and took a deep breath. "You kidnapped my daughter, taking her to God knows where, with God knows who. You killed my best friend in cold blood, and I know for a _fact_ you've done worse. You are the head boss of a gang that thrives on money laundering, drugs, and murder. Tell me what differences there are."

"I would never hurt my daughter," He said tightly and Clary narrowed her eyes. "But you _would_ hurt _me_," She said disdainfully and Jace looked away from her, running a tired hand through his hair. "You say you'd never hurt Sammie, but look what you're doing right now. You took her away from me. I am the only person that little girl trusts, and you took that away from her. How do you think that is making her feel?" Jace had his back turned to Clary again and she was staring at the nape of his neck, watching his muscles contract slightly before relieving again.

"She is with Isabelle," He said quietly and Clary's ears perked up. "What?"

"She is with Isabelle," He said louder this time and Clary's heart started to race. "Please let me at least talk to her," She said softly, reaching out to hitch her fingers around the crook of Jace's elbow gently, pulling at him so he would face her. "I will do anything you want, I just want to talk to her."

He spun around slowly, his eyes dark and his gaze hard. Clary brushed her hand against his cheek and hooked her hand behind his head at the nape of his neck, pulling him closer, down to her level. He was slow, and slightly reluctant at first, but it seemed like he was going to give in. Pressing up onto her tip-toes Clary connected their lips. She felt Jace's hands hook around her upper arms and she curled her fingers into the waist band of his pants.

Jace's fingers tightened and he pushed her away forcefully. In a matter of seconds she was off her feet, her body hitting the floor with a loud thump. "You don't work for Daddy anymore," He seethed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Being a slut won't get you anywhere anymore." Clary's jaw tightened and she bit back the tears that were starting to collect at the corners of her eyes.

Jace reached in his pants pocket and pulled out a cell phone, pressing a number and then tossing it in Clary's direction. It fell to the floor right beside her hand and Clary saw that it was calling an undefinable number but she grabbed it none-the-less. Jace mumbled something incoherent and then stomped toward the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

Holding the phone to her ear the ring echoed in her ear and then the other end picked up.

"Mama?"

Clary squeezed her eyes shut and pursed her lips, she held back a sob in the back of her throat and covered her mouth with her hand. "Mama?" The little girl said again. "Are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here," Clary finally said breathing in deeply.

"Mama, when are you going to come stay with me?"

"Soon honey, I just have to do some stuff... at home and then I will see you, very soon." Obviously Clary didn't know if that was true or not, but she wasn't about to tell her four year old daughter she wasn't sure when or if she was ever going to see her again. She knew how men in this business were. "Do you know where you are though sweetie?" She asked.

"Mama?"

"Sammie, do you know where you are?"

"Mama I can't hear you!" Sammie yelled through the phone and Clary pulled it away from her ear to see if they were still connected. "Sammie!" Clary tried yelling into the receiver but the line was dead.

Throwing the phone across the room she didn't have to watch it to know that it smashed against a wall. She pushed herself off the floor and burst into the bedroom where Jace was waiting. He had taken off his suit jacket and was adjusting the cuffs on his black button up shirt. "You _fixed_ the line," She spat and he looked up at her as if he didn't notice her first come in.

"You talked to her. You know she is all right. That is all you asked for," He shrugged and Clary raised her hand to swing at him but he caught her wrist just in time, 'tsk-ing' his tongue and shaking his head. "Are you going to kill me? Is that it?" She asked quietly, tears brimming on her bottom lid. "There's got to be a price on my head too," She swallowed and Jace dropped her hand.

"On the contrary," He said smoothly and Clary wiped her hand against her cheek, drying most of the wetness, or trying to at least. "I actually need you. And, in order to allow you into this family, and to stop my men from taking you out, I had to tell a small white lie."

Clary stared at him expectantly but he stayed silent. "Well are you going to tell me or what?" She asked angrily and Jace arched any eyebrow at her. "I told them that you were my wife," He said it so nonchalantly that Clary wasn't sure she heard him correctly at first.

"Y-you what?!" She choked out, her eyes wide and her mouth fallen open.

"It took some time to convince them, but once I told them about our past-"

"What did you tell them?" Clary interrupted.

"What they needed to know," Jace said calmly. Clary was anything but calm, how could she be calm at a moment like this. It was like everything about her life was being turned upside down. She thought that she escaped her past, but here it was, staring her right in the face, with gorgeous golden hair and an overly attractive, douche-y smirk. God, she loved that smirk.

"And I have no say?" She held her hands out and then dropped them to her sides. "I thought I had made that quite clear already," Jace chuckled and Clary clenched her teeth together tightly. "What if I tell them the truth?"

"Then they'll kill you," Jace shrugged. "And probably Samantha as well."

"You said you'd never hurt her." Clary said lowly, narrowing her eyes.

"I wouldn't...but there is only so much control that I can have over my men Clary. Sometimes things just happen."

His words hit her like a brick to the stomach and she felt like she was going to throw up. This wasn't happening, none of this was real. She was going to wake up and be with Sammie in their small bed in their small apartment. "I'd get some rest if I were you though," Jace spoke up.

Clary opened her eyes that she had squeezed shut and he had a different suit jacket on. "You look like hell. You know how important it is having to keep up with appearances and all." He sighed and Clary swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat.

When Jace left the room Clary dropped to her knees and let herself fall apart. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, it was difficult for her to see. She could barely catch her breath and the sobs were catching in her throat. There was nothing she could do, and no where she could go.

She was trapped inside of a prison that she thought she had gotten away from four years ago, and her fortune didn't seem to be looking up anytime soon.

* * *

_**I am so happy that you guys like this story!**_

_**I know that there was only one chapter but the feedback was amazing! I love all of you for being so nice to me (:**_

_**I'm going to try and update every Thursday night / Friday morning (but ya'll know how I am with schedules) I just don't like forcing story lines, so if I can't find inspiration for this story, I will just update Superstar. (which I'm currently working on now)**_

_**I hope you all like this chapter as well, and I hope you come back for more next time! **_

_**QUESTION:  
**__**If I wrote another story, what couples / fandoms would you want to see? **_


	3. Chapter 3

Clary didn't see Jace for three days after their..._discussion_, in the hotel room. He would send Tessa up to check on her, but for the most part Clary pretended to be asleep. She had picked up the shattered pieces of the cell phone, praying that it might still work, but it was no use, Jace must have had the signal blocked.

This morning was different though, usually Tessa woke her up gently or had breakfast ready for her, but today she woke up abruptly when someone yanked the comforter off of her body and kicked the bed making the mattress shake underneath her. Peeking through her eyelids Clary saw Jace standing at the end of her bed, an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips. "Get up, we're leaving in an hour," He said gruffly and Clary ran a tired hand over her face.

"Where are we going?" She asked with a yawn, falling onto her back to stretch out the kink in her shoulder. "Phoenix."

Clary's eyes shot open and she jolted upright, staring at Jace with her mouth half hanging open. "Like _Phoenix_, Phoenix?" She asked and Jace rolled his eyes. "No the other Phoenix that exists in the United States," He grumbled before leaving the bedroom. Clary literally leaped out of bed and scoured through the clothes Tessa had brought her, finding anything descent enough to wear so that Jace wouldn't complain about her looking, either slutty, or dumpy.

She was going to see her daughter, nothing else mattered. Jace didn't matter, the fear of her impending death didn't matter, nothing. She was going to see Sammie, and she was going to be okay.

Tessa met her in the lobby with a smile and her carry-on over one of her shoulders. "Ready?" She asked brightly and Clary tried her best to smile back warmly. If she was Tessa she would've given up by now, but the girl was persistent. Clary had pushed her away, kicked and screamed and yelled at the poor girl, she didn't understand why she was still being so nice.

They boarded the plane, this time not private, but still first class nonetheless. There were less people traveling with them, which made Clary curious, but again, she really didn't care as long as she was on her way to see Sammie, she couldn't give a shit if Sebastian or any other of Jace's minions were going to be there with her when she was reunited with her daughter.

Jace didn't sit with Clary, not that she wanted him to, but if they were supposed to be keeping up with appearances she assumed he would try and make some kind of effort. Instead Tessa sat beside her, which she should've expected in the first place. "So I hear you and Jace have quite the history." Clary almost choked on the water she was drinking from the abruptness of Tessa's statement. They never talked about Jace and her. Granted the girls had only known each other for four or five days, but still, Jace was never a topic. Honestly, nothing was really a topic for them, they never really spoke long term about things. "You could say that," Clary said grimly, pushing further back in her seat.

"Marrying into this kind of "family"," Tessa used air quotes and Clary wanted to roll her eyes. "Isn't easy." Clary nodded and bit the inside of her cheek. She wanted to ask who_ exactly_ Tessa was married to, she looked too young, and too_...pretty_ to be with any of these guys. But then she remembered, _duh_, the rules applied to everyone not just the Morgensterns.

"Will," Tessa said pointing her finger diagonally, as if she could read Clary's expression. The guy she was pointing at had dark curly hair. Clary could tell he was related to Jace but Will was broader, and darker, but somehow seemed_...lighter_ at the same time. It was a coincidence that at the exact moment Tessa pointed, the young man looked over his shoulder, his mouth twitching upward in a, barely noticeable, smile before he turned back around to face front. When Clary looked back at Tessa she had the same small smile on her lips and it kind of made Clary's heart hurt.

"I grew up in this lifestyle," She said solemnly, looking down at her hands, "But I prayed every night that Sammie would never have to." She wasn't quite sure if she should've admitted that to Tessa, but she did it anyway. And Tessa stayed silent the rest of the plane ride.

**. . . .**

When the plane landed and they finally got out of the airport, Clary's body was set on edge. The entire ride was like a rollercoaster of emotions. Would Sammie blame her for this? Was she actually okay? Was Clary actually going to see Sammie or was this just some cruel joke that Jace was playing on her? It was only Will, Jace, Tessa and Clary in the car and that gave Clary a small sense of relief. It felt less stuffy with just the four of them, less...gang-y.

The road they were taking was way too bumpy for them to be climbing in a Land Rover, ever time they hit a bump Clary practically jumped into Jace's lap, and every time that happened he'd shoot her an undecipherable look. She was going to complain about this strange ascend up the mountain to no where but she figured that would only go against her better wishes.

It took about forty five minutes of bouncing back and forth before she saw the house at the top of a the hill they were toward and Clary's back straightened. She had her face almost pressed entirely up to the glass and her heart was racing faster than she could remember it ever had. She just prayed that Sammie was inside there. That was all she wanted.

Clary didn't even wait for the car to come to a complete stop before she opened the door and hopped out. She heard Jace protest as she slammed the door behind her, but looking back wasn't really an option. Her eyes scanned the area quickly, and from what she could see this house was huge, it resembled some kind of resort, leave it to Jace to pick something over extravagant.

"Mama!"

Clary whirled around and Sammie was already bounding toward her, her strawberry blonde curls bouncing with every step. Clary kneeled down, opening her arms wide so Sammie could run into them and when the little girl finally tore into her, Clary fell to her knees from the impact and squeezed her daughter so tightly she thought she might actually absorb her.

She pulled away reluctantly and placed both her hands on either side of Samantha's face, kissing every inch of the little girls skin that she could find. Sammie giggled and started squirming but Clary was not going to let go. "Are you okay?" She asked frantically, searching Sammie's body for any kind of bruise or contusion. "Mama I'm okay," Sammie giggled. Clary stopped and stared at her daughter's small round face, pulling her into her chest again. "You got a boo-boo," Samantha said pressing her finger into a bruise that Clary had on the back of her shoulder.

Clary let her daughter go and shook her head. "You know how clumsy mommy is," She said, smiling through the tears that had started to prick at the corners of her eyes. Sammie shook her head and tsk'd, and Clary couldn't help but smile. Sammie reached up to touch under Clary's eye but Clary took the little girl's hands in her own and kissed her fingers, before she could make a comment. "I'm so glad you're alright," She whispered, kissing Samantha's forehead. "I'm alright," Samantha repeated.

Clary became painfully aware of everyone watching them now. Especially Jace, who had one hand cupping his chin, his finger pressed against his lips as if he was studying them. She stood up and brushed off her knees. Sammie clung to her leg and Clary patted her head comfortingly. "Come on mama, they got a kitty!" Sammie said jumping up and down excitedly, tugging at Clary's hand.

She looked at Jace as if she was asking for approval, and she hated that, that was her first instinct. He bowed his head and waved her away. She swallowed the glare that was fighting it's way onto her face and smiled down at her daughter. "A kitty!" She said excitedly and Sammie bounced on the balls of her feet. "Come on!" She squealed again, pulling at Clary's hand harder.

Sammie started pulling Clary towards, what she assumed, was the front door and there stood a familiar dark haired girl, leaning against the door frame. _Isabelle_. Clary swallowed hard and tried her best to force on a tight smile, that Isabelle returned with a nod before turning away, moving further into the house. "It's name is Church," Samantha said, the excitement never dying down in her voice and Clary really couldn't help but chuckle. She stopped for a second and scooped Samantha into her arms. "Mama, I need to show you the kitty," Samantha whined and Clary smiled into her hair. "I know, I just missed you so much," She said softly and Sammie circled her small arms around Clary's neck. "I missed you too."

**X.X.X.X.X.X**

"Izzy said he don't like no one else," Samantha said as Church rubbed up against her folded knees as she sat cross-legged on the ground. "That's because he knows how special you are," Clary said ruffling Sammie's hair, the little girl beamed and continued to pet the all grey cat. It took them a little while to actually find the cat, curled up underneath a chair that was in a hall that had at least five rooms branching off of it. In the mean time Samantha gave Clary a grand tour, well what she thought was a grand tour anyway. It was really just a basic outline of where she apparently was "allowed" to go. Clary wondered if was just going be her and Sammie and Jace living in this house, or if Jace's entire gang might be living here as well, but she prayed that it wasn't the latter.

"So you've liked it here?" Clary asked studying Samantha's face. "Mhmm, when Izzy is here. She let's me stay up with her and play dress up," Sammie said with a grin. Clary cocked her head to the side, "Who is here when Isabelle isn't?" She asked, a sudden annoyance poking at the back of her brain. Church sat up and began licking Sammie's cheek making the little girl giggle

"Sammie who is here when Izzy isn't?" Clary pressed, scooting closer to Samantha, but all she did was shrug. Clary hooked her finger underneath the little girl's chin to make her face shift towards her. "Did they hurt you?" She asked, she searching Samantha's face for some kind of answer but it was evident that she wasn't going to give anything away. She just shook her head and looked away from Clary. "They scare me," Sammie whispered.

"They taked me away from you. But Izzy said you had to help a friend. Is he your friend?" Sammie asked pointing over Clary's shoulder, and she assumed it was Jace she was pointing at, she didn't bother looking.

"Hey, how about we make a tent," Clary said deflecting from Samantha's question. Her eyebrows raised excitedly as Samantha's eyes lit up. "Yeah!" The little girl cheered. "Okay, we need to find the_ perfect_ tent spot, and some blankets," Clary said clapping her hands together. Samantha jumped to her feet, "My room, we can do it in my room Mama!"

"Alright, you go get everything together, and mommy will be there in a minute," Clary said slowly standing up, and Sammie was off, giggling as she ran. Clary smiled after her, her arms folded against her chest, but that only lasted for a few seconds before she turned around to face Jace, but it wasn't Jace standing in the doorway. She should've expected this, she knew he would be here, and that she'd see him _eventually,_ but she was too preoccupied with her daughter to even think about seeing anyone else, but now here she was.

"Simon," She exasperated her arms falling to her sides, it was like her brain wanted her to move but her body was refusing out of shock. Simon pushed away from the doorway and walked coolly towards her. He pulled her into a loose hug and for a second Clary just stood there, before she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tighter. He smelled the same, and for the most part looked the same, just a little more muscular, and the mop that used to hang on his head was cut shorter.

"Oh my god," Clary said it so quietly she wasn't even sure if she said it at all, all she knew was that, now she was crying and clinging onto her best friend...well..._old_ best friend, and he was holding her just as tightly. "Oh my god Clary," Simon sighed, pulling away from her, his hands on both side of her face like he was inspecting her, oddly similar to the way she inspected Samantha. "Look at you," He said, sadness and pity dripping from his voice. His thumb ran over her cheek, where she was sure the bruise she had, had turned yellow.

"I'm fine," She said sniffling, taking a small step away from him. "But look at you," She said with a choked. "You're all grown up," She joked with a half sniffle, and Simon ran a hand through his dark hair, chuckling. "I'm so sorry about this Clary," He croaked and Clary shook her head. "It's not like you knew right?" She said with a tight laugh, but Simon just looked at the ground and rubbed the back of his neck. "You didn't know. Right?" Clary said more sternly this time. "Simon, please tell me, that you did not know they were going to take Sammie away from me like this," She was pleading, but Simon gave her nothing in return but a sad puppy dog frown.

"How could you," She growled, stepping further away from him. "There wasn't anything I could do." Simon reached out for her, but she moved her hand away and held it up, deflecting his advance. "I knew she would be safe. I knew me and Iz-"

"I didn't know that!" Clary yelled, throwing her arms in the air before dropping them back down. "I didn't know where she was, or who had her, or if she was even alive!"

"There was no way I could've told you, we haven't spoken in over four years now." Simon sighed. "And who's fault is that?" She sneered folding her arms tightly against her chest. "Do you really want to play the blame game right now? I'm not the one who started this mess four years ago." Clary's eyes narrowed and she set her jaw, taking a deep breath and exhaling. "I am so sorry that you two are going through this, but it had to be done. Things are messier than you think."

"Mama!" Clary heard Sammie yell from down a hallway. "Coming sweetie!" Clary yelled over her shoulder. She cast a hard glare back at Simon, she couldn't even think of anything to say, her body was hot with betrayal. "You have a dinner tonight at nine," He said resolutely and Clary shook her head. "You have to go Clary. Jace told you-"

"I really don't care what Jace told me," She glowered.

"Isabelle will be here to help you get ready, the car will be here at eight thirty."

"So, what, are you like... Jace's errand boy now?" She scoffed and Simon shook his head. "It _is_ really nice seeing you again," He said with a small smile before turning away, exiting through the doorway Clary had first seen him in.

"Mama!" Sammie yelled more impatiently and Clary whirled around, she was standing at the end of the hall, her little hands on her hips, her foot tapping. "I'm coming," Clary said in a sing-songy voice running towards Samantha. The little girl giggled and ran further into the room before Clary started attacking her with tickles.

* * *

**Wow I couldn't even make it a week keeping up with my own schedule! **

**But I do have a good explanation, my computer charger crapped out on me at the beginning of the week and I've had to fight my little brother over the desk top. But here it is! :D **

**I feel like this chapter is short, but what I wanted to add to make it longer just didn't flow right and I'm trying not to force anything with this story, I just want to take my time and make it quality, for you guys to read. **

**I'm worried that the pace is too fast, so I'm trying to slow it down a little but it's hard because all these ideas keeps popping in my head and I want to write them before I forget. **

**I am going to be heading back to school on Thursday, so I will actually be uploading another chapter (I hope) by Wednesday at the latest. **

**I hope you all enjoy reading this part, and come back for more next time! **

**xx **


	4. Chapter 4

Clary stared at herself in the mirror and felt a shiver of disgust run up her spine. She was getting ready to go out to dinner with the man that had done more damage to her heart than her father had to her mind. She was about to leave Sammie alone with the same people who took her away, and she had no say in the matter as long as she wanted the two of them to be kept safe. However, who ever picked out her dress had some pretty great taste.

The emerald green strapless dress, fit around her chest and ribcage with a slightly rouched effect, while the bottom flowed out elegantly when it fell onto her hips and legs. It was long enough to cover her feet, but didn't drag when she slipped her feet into the nude heels she was provided. Her hair was in a loose up-do with pieces falling against her shoulders and Isabelle worked wonders on her face as far as make up went.

"Wow, you definitely grew into your body," Isabelle joked looking Clary up and down, obviously pleased with her work. "It _has _been almost five years since we last saw each other," Clary grumbled and rolled her eyes, turning away from the reflective surface. "I would certainly hope so."

"It must have been hard to be separated from Jace for so long," Tessa said, curiously and Clary nodded "Sure." She shrugged, and Isabelle cleared her throat. "I bet Sammie likes having her father around now," Tessa said, swiping lip gloss against her lips, before pursing them together.

Clary clenched down on a her jaw and Isabelle gave her a warning look so she just nodded her head again. "She's pretty…._indifferent _about it," Clary said slowly and Tessa's eyebrows furrowed together.

"She just means that Sammie doesn't really _understand_ the situation," Isabelle said. "She is only four years old," She added with a laugh and Clary felt the need to roll her eyes. She didn't need Isabelle covering for her. Tessa deserved to know the truth, she wasn't a horrible person like everyone else she was surrounded by. But Clary wasn't looking to risk getting the wrath of Jace if he found out she'd been talking.

Tessa nodded slowly, almost as if she didn't believe them, which she _shouldn't_, but Clary just shrugged it off. "Being a wife in this family is definitely a struggle sometimes," Tessa sighed and Clary gave her a half smile before adverting her eyes towards the floor. She really wouldn't know.

There was a knock at the door and Simon peeked his head in, "They're ready downstairs," He said avoiding eye contact with Clary, who didn't actually mind at all. She didn't want him to look at her, she was still quite pissed off at him.

Isabelle clapped her hands together, and motioned for Clary to go first. "Have fun," She smiled.

Samantha had already gone down to sleep about an hour before, but Clary knew the little girl was probably just laying in bed. It's what she always did. Every night she would lay in bed for a least an hour before sneaking into Clary's room and crawling in beside her. It killed her that after all the days they've been apart she still didn't get to spend the time with her daughter that they both needed.

When she came down the stairs, Jace wasn't waiting for her by the front door, but it's not like she expected him to be, that would be way too gentlemanly of him, and he wasn't waiting in the back seat of a black SUV that was waiting for her in the drive way either.

However, there was a man that _resembled _Jace sitting in the back waiting for her. It was Will, Clary remembered Tessa pointing him out to her on the plane ride to Phoenix, and she'd seen the two of them together at the house. He didn't say anything when she slid in beside her, he didn't even acknowledge her really, he simply patted the driver's shoulder, signaling for him to drive.

"Where are we going?" Clary asked a few minutes later, breaking the tensioned silence that had fallen over the vehicle. "You'll know when we get there," Will said smoothly and Clary narrowed her eyes. "Is Jace _actually_ going to be there?" She asked, but this time Will stayed silent.

They were still in Phoenix at least, that's all that Clary knew, and it took them somewhere near a half an hour to get to the destination. The building was exceptional, and there were people in elegant dresses standing in line, apparently waiting for their turn to get in.

A man from outside opened her door and she hesitated momentarily. "Go," Will said gruffly behind her, and her body unconsciously followed his command. He tipped his head towards the man who had the door held open and hooked his elbow around Clary's as if he were escorting her. "Where is Tessa?" Clary asked pulling against her arm, but Will had a stronger hold on her than she thought.

"She'll be around," He said, looking forward as they walked. "You two don't travel together? Did Jace arrange your marriage or something? Can't even stand being around each other?" Clary said with a soft snort, studying the side of his face. She saw Will's jaw clench and narrowed her eyes curiously as he bit his lip before answering. "We never travel with the women," He said tightening his lock on Clary's arm. "The only reason I am with you right now is because Jace thinks you'll try to run," He said simply. Clary looked away and shrugged, it definitely crossed her mind, "I'd never leave my daughter," She said sternly.

"And for your information," He added bringing Clary's focus back on him. "I _love_ her. Very much in fact." They stopped just out of earshot from the crowd lined up at the door. "Unlike you and my cousin." His voice was cold and concrete.

"I know _every thing_." He added and Clary swallowed hard, looking away from him and past his shoulder. "Tessa doesn't," he said as if he read Clary's mind, "but I do. I know about Sammie… about your past…," He scoffed and shook his head. "If you had any sense, you would start playing along a little better. You have no idea what they will do to you if they find out the truth."

Clary's eyes narrowed and she stared into Will's eyes for a few moments. "Who?"

Will shook his head again and pulled Clary along as he began walking. "Did_ he _tell you?" She asked quietly. Will looked at her from the corner of his eye but didn't say a word. He didn't have to though.

He walked her to the entrance of the building, and handed a small slip of paper to the bouncer who looked Clary up and down before allowing them through the red, roped off entrance. When they entered into the grand foyer Will let go of her arm and brushed off his suit jacket. She felt extremely out of place, like everyone knew that she was a fraud.

She spotted Jace across the room, surrounded by a group of people, but his eyes were trained on her. He was in a nicely fitted tux, his golden hair falling softly past his ears and curling slightly as it usually did. If she didn't despise him so much Clary would probably think he looked good. "Clary," Will said snapping her gaze away from Jace for a few seconds.

He motioned with his head for her to follow him, as he began walking in the direction of Jace.

The two of them approached the group that was surrounding Jace, and Will gave him a nod before spinning away. Jace immediately wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into him.

"Clarissa," A man who was dressed in a similar suit to Jace's said. "It's nice to finally meet you." He didn't extend a hand or even a smile, he simply made the statement. He had a women beside him as well. Her dark hair was cut short into a pixie do.

"It's Clary," She corrected and the man gave Jace a raise of an eyebrow. Jace readjusted the arm that was around Clary's back pulling her into him more.

"This is Patrick, and his wife Jia." Clary nodded, she honestly didn't care, but from the way Jace was acting she figured these people were important. "He's an old friend of my father's," Jace said, eyes boring into Clary's as she slowly turned to face him. It's like he was trying to tell her what he'd told her so many times before,_ "Know your place". _

Clary smiled and straightened her back, leaning into Jace as she did so. "It's nice to meet you as well." Another man in a tux came up behind Patrick and whispered something in his ear that seemed to catch his attention.

His arm fell from his wife's waist and he looked at his watch. "I do apologize, but you'll have to excuse us, we have some business to take care of," Patrick said with a smile, rubbing his hands together, and Jace nodded. Jia stayed silent, but Clary saw the waver in her demeanor. "Jace," Patrick said nodding his head to the side, motioning Jace to follow.

When Jace's arm fell from Clary's hip and he began walking away, she grabbed his wrist causing him to turn back and look at her. "I don't know anyone else here," She said quietly through gritted teeth. Jace pulled his arm forcefully out of her grasp and fixed his suit cuffs. "I'll be back," He said loudly, a sweet tint to his voice. "Get yourself a drink." He leaned in, and his lips brushed her cheek. "Don't talk to _anyone_," He whispered as his mouth lingered beside her ear.

When he pulled away he brushed his hands down his torso, and turned, leaving her with only the women that was accompanying Patrick. The women looked Clary up and down, one eyebrow arched and before Clary could open her mouth to speak she turned and walked away.

Snapping her mouth shut, Clary rolled her eyes and turned in the opposite direction. She knew absolutely no one at this party. Every time she tried to find a familiar face, she was returned with a threatening glance or a judgmental stare. She was cursing Jace up and down in her head and vowed to give him a piece of her mind when they got home later.

She made her way to the bar and ordered herself a scotch. Jace technically did tell her to get a drink, so that's exactly what she intended to do.

There was a tap on her shoulder that snapped her out of her thoughts and when she looked behind her, she was met with a bright and smiling Tessa. "Will told me I might find you here," She said with a laugh and Clary nodded, holding the glass to her lips, taking a small sip. The burn in her throat felt extremely satisfying.

"Have you met anyone?" Tessa asked and Clary shrugged. "Patrick Penhallow and his wife. Apparently they are too important for me to be able to communicate with." She rolled her eyes and Tessa slipped in between another man and Clary, sitting properly on the bar stool.

"They like to think so," She said with a shake of the head and an airy chuckle. "The Penhallow's have a small family here in Phoenix. Nothing compared to Jace's," Tessa said, as if that was going to impress Clary; as if Clary actually _cared_ about the size of Jace's gang.

"Jace is trying to meld the two families together apparently. So tonight is extremely important." Tessa waved the bartender over and then looked back at Clary.

"Why?" Clary asked curiously. "Because Jace has to show how dominant his clan is. It's basically like a pissing war between gangs." Tessa rolled her eyes, turned to the bartender and ordered herself a martini.

"And how exactly do they prove their dominance?" Clary asked furrowing her eyebrows together. "It all depends on what is negotiated." Tessa shrugged and smiled when the bartender slid her martini towards her. "Jace has his hands dipped in a plethora of different businesses. I mean you know that already but…" Her sentence trailed off and Clary sucked in a breath between her teeth. Taking another slow swig of her scotch. "All he has to do is convince Patrick that he has enough power and control over his territory."

"Why is he trying to bring together the two families if he has enough power then?" Clary asked with a scoff. Tessa looked at Clary with an arched eyebrow. "He hasn't talked to you about this himself?" She questioned, her eyes narrowing and Clary swallowed. "We make it a point not to talk about business…" She paused and cleared her throat. "And when we were separated we didn't have much contact, so you could say I've been….left in the dark about a few things."

Tessa nodded and shrugged one shoulder, taking a small sip of her drink. "Will tells me things that he probably shouldn't, but he just wants me to be prepared in case anything were to happen to him, or the family in general."

"Tessa!" A loud shrieking sound came from behind the two girls and Clary's heart just about fell into her stomach.

"Kaelie!" Tessa said at about the same decibel and Clary became increasingly annoyed by the situation. "It's so nice to see you again," The blonde said extending her arms and moving in for a hug; Tessa mimicked the girls motions and the two embraced for a few seconds. "We have to catch up soon," Tessa said, her hands still loosely circled around Kaelie's forearms. "Oh my God, yes!" Kaelie said throwing her head back, her blonde hair almost touching her butt.

"I am so sorry, I don't think we've ever met," The girl said looking Clary up and down. "We haven't," Clary said cooly, turning halfway to look over her shoulder. Kaelie's smile tightened and she cocked her head to one side. "I'm Kaelie Whitewillow," She said clearing her throat. "Clarrisa M—" She clenched her jaw and sat up straighter. "Herondale. Jace's wife," She bit out and Kaelie's smile almost seemed to falter.

"Oh," She said, her voice peeking in pitch. "_You're_ Jace's wife." Clary nodded and Tessa was smiling, as she always was.

"Well, we will definitely need to catch up soon as well. Brunch one of these days?" Kaelie asked looking between the two girls. "Oh of course," Tessa said waving her hand through the air. "Okay, well I have to get going. You know how it is…so many people to greet, so little time," She said smiling so hard that her nose was scrunching. Tessa nodded and the two girls exchanged polite kisses on their cheeks. Kaelie looked one last time at Clary, something flashing through her pupils before she turned and walked away with an exaggerated sway in her hips.

Tessa let out a deep breath and took a large gulp from her martini. "Is everyone here going to approach us like that? Because if so, I'm going to need at least three more of these," Clary said pointing at the, almost empty, glass in her hand. Tessa laughed and shook her head. "No. I'm sorry you had to go through that, I know that Jace didn't want you two to talk and—"

Clary's eyes narrowed and her head tilted to the side slightly. "Why didn't Jace want us to talk?"

"Well I just mean, after everything that went on between the two of them…" Tessa's voice trailed off and judging by her expression it was clear that Clary's face had contorted into a confused state. "You don't know what happened between them…" Tessa asked slowly, so it came out as more a statement accompanied by a sigh.

Clary blinked and stared blankly at Tessa, waiting for her to spill the secret, but the two girls just stared at each other. "Kaelie isn't affiliated with a _specific_ family in this region," Tessa began and Clary shifted herself so she was leaning halfway against the bar. "But she _wishes _she was." Tessa rolled her eyes. "Her and Jace had a…._fling. _Just for a couple months." Tessa had looked away at this point, her cheeks were flushed and she was fiddling with her fingers. "It was strictly sex, and as soon as Jace caught wind of where you were, they ended it," She said as if that made it any better.

Clary clenched her jaw and turned back to face the bar. Why was she mad? It's not like the two of them were or are even actually together. They've been apart for almost five years what did she expect? Especially coming from Jace. She shrugged and smiled. "Oh, _that_…" She said, her voice breaking. "Me and him talked about," She cleared her throat and gulped down the last of her scotch. "We're good," She lied, and Clary had a feeling Tessa almost called her bluff but the dark haired girl stayed silent.

She looked over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of Kaelie shaking hands with a broad shouldered man who seemed to be enjoying her company, and it made her stomach turn. The girl was thin and tall, blonde of course, with pointy features that Clary felt like only she could pull off. She seemed to be everything that Jace would look for in a girl, not that she cared or anything.

Shaking her head she craned her neck to try and make contact with the bartender but she couldn't seem to find him. "The guys should be back soon," Tessa said, her voice brighter. Clary nodded and sank back onto the bar stool.

The girls stayed silent for a while. Clary got another drink, a martini this time, and an hour passed before she spotted Jace over her shoulder and through the collecting crowd, making a direct b-line towards her. Will was right behind him, on his heels and Tessa sat straighter when she spotted him, a smile slipping onto her mouth, it almost sickened Clary.

He held his hand out for Tessa to take and the brunette took it gladly, slipping fluidly off the barstool and into Will's arm. No matter how hard Clary made herself try she didn't think her and Jace could ever look that natural…that…._in love_.

"Where have you been?" Clary asked arching an eyebrow focusing back on Jace as he took her hand without asking, pulling her to her feet, more forcefully than she prepared herself for, causing her to stumble into him.

"Don't worry about it," He grumbled, his arm falling around her waist. "I am going to worry about it, because after what Tessa told me—-"

"What did she tell you?" Jace snapped, and Clary's eyes narrowed. "Where did you go?" Clary said answering his question with a question as well.

He stopped walking when they were almost out of earshot to any, but still contained visual contact, so everyone could see the two of them together. "Taking care of things." He said simply and Clary rolled her eyes.

"I'm not naive," She scoffed and Jace chuckled. "I know that you're trying to get that Patrick guy to join your gang. Why…I have no idea."

"We have a common enemy," Jace said with a shrug.

"My father," Clary said quietly, searching Jace's face for an answer but he just stared down at her. She could tell now, in this light that his cheek and bottom lip, looked slightly swollen and there were small specks of red on his collar.

Clary's motherly instinct set in and her hand brushed against his cheek, her thumb swiping his lower lip softly. She made a tsk noise with her tongue and Jace cleared his throat, before she abruptly pulled away. "You have blood on your shirt," Clary choked out with a cough.

She could also see the black of a tattoo peeking out from under his collar.

"I had to take care of a few things," Jace said quietly with a shrug.

"Did you win?" She asked with a sigh. Jace smirked and blew a puff of air out of his nose. "Are you doubting my ability?" He asked. "Have you completely forgotten who I am?" He joked, "what I am capable off?" The hand he had on the small of her back slipped fluidly down to her ass.

Clary sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and adverted her gaze away from his face. "No, not at all. Unfortunately, I remember _exactly_ what your capable of," She said quietly.

"Almost reminds you of the first time we met doesn't it?" He chuckled and Clary flinched away from him. "_Drinking_," He continued, "_fighting, dancing_…"

"This is _nothing_ like the first time we met," Clary said with a scoff. Every time she inhaled she could smell his cologne and that alone was intoxicating her. "Things were a little more rough that night," She said shuttering at the memory and Jace laughed.

"We still hadfun though," He said, and Clary was surprised by the lightness of his voice.

"From the parts I can recall…." She paused, "It was alright."

Jace shook his head, laughing to himself, and the music quit playing in the background. It was throwing Clary slightly off guard, having him treat her so decently. He hadn't raised his voice, or used force on her for the entire conversation, which, for Jace, was a bit of a record.

She saw his eyes flick upward over her shoulder, and then adjust back to her. His hand moved up to her face and he drew her near. As his face got closer to her's she tried to pull away but his hand had her locked in place. When their lips touched, a swarm of butterflies awakened inside of her stomach and threatened to fly up and out of her throat.

The kiss became increasingly more rough, more Jace-like, and he pulled her closer by her waist. Instinctively one of her hands touched at the nape of his neck and she softly caressed the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair, with the other.

Someone cleared their throat behind them but it still took a few seconds for Jace to pull away. When he did however Clary saw another equally important looking man in a black suit staring at them, with arched eyebrows. "I'm sure the hotel would allow the two of you to get a room, if needed," The man joked without cracking so much as a smile, and Clary felt the embarrassment creep up her face. That's why Jace took it upon himself to kiss her. It's all for show. She said to herself and dropped her arms to her sides.

"Sorry Lucian," Jace said with a laugh and Clary held back an eye roll. "You know how it is," He said motioning to Clary while shrugging one shoulder.

"Just remember, we are here for business," The man said, his eyes wondered over to Clary and he gave her an unreadable look. "Not pleasure," he added, as if she wasn't already embarrassed enough. Clary looked at Jace who was smirking, and crossed her arms over her chest.

When the man, Lucian, walked away Clary pushed her shoulders back and stood straighter. "The next time that you want to pull something like that, it'd be nice if you told me," She scoffed and Jace rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't have been able to pull it off convincingly," He laughed and Clary raised her eyebrows.

"Have you forgotten who _I_ am?" She scoffed. "What _I'm_ capable of?" She mimicked Jace's previous words and his gaze fell cold. "Since we're reminiscing on our past, need I remind you that pretending to be in love with someone comes naturally to me? It's practically a part of my profession as a _slut_, as you so-delicately like to point out. And let's not forget the fact that I _have_ learned from the best."

She was challenging him with her eyes, willing him to say something…._anything, _but all he did was scoff, look her up and down and then push past her, making sure their shoulders collided as he did so. Shifting her jaw, she clenched her teeth together and shook her head.

**X.X.X.X.X.X**

_Clary woke up with a pounding headache, her whole body sore. The dress she had on the previous night was hanging from her body, practically torn to shreds. To sum it all up, she'd say it was pretty successful. Last night was her _last night_ of freedom. She had graduated from high school, and while most 18 year old girls were preparing for college, Clary was preparing for the arranged marriage her father was going to be setting up._

_Yes, arranged marriage is still a thing, no matter how much Clary wished it wasn't. From now on, she was going to be learning how to be the perfect house wife. So, she decided, as a last ditch effort to be able to live her own life, to go just about as far as she could. Which apparently, was pretty damn far._

_She didn't even know the guy, but he had been staring at her all night, and after a few shots and hits off of whatever the hell her brother had given her, the boy become increasingly more intriguing. She snuck away with him out the back into an alley way, where a black SUV was sitting, as if he had planned on taking a girl home all night. She realized now that, _yes_, that was a completely irrational and naive decision considering she'd never even met the guy before, but with her impending, hell-like, future growing nearer, she didn't really care much about consequences._

_Now looking in the mirror after her shower she saw just how rough things got had gotten. There were bruises on her hips and thighs, and quarter sized hickies trailing along her collar bone and neck. A shiver ran up her spine and when she closed her eyes. She could still see his face behind her lids. His beautiful blonde hair, his golden eyes, and the way the muscles on his body contracted as he lifted his shirt over his head._

_It was almost like she could still feel his fingers on her skin, making her cheeks immediately turn red, and her body heat up. She didn't actually mean for things to go as far as they did. In all honesty it was the first time she'd ever let anyone that close to her before, and she didn't even remember the boys name. She swallowed down the guilt and shame and brushed her hand through her wet hair._

_. . . ._

_Her father was hosting a dinner that evening, and usually Clary wasn't allowed to attend for "business reasons", but tonight apparently her presence was needed. Valentine sent a new dress up to her room and Jonathan came knocking at her door at 8 o'clock telling her to be ready in an hour._

_Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary, the foyer was decorated, and the table was set for a family bigger than her father's almost as if there were to be two or three more visiting tonight as well. Her father's house was beautiful. Over the top and extravagant _yes_, but beautiful none-the-less. Before Clary's mother left, she did and excellent job of making sure it still felt like a home and not a museum of Valentine's greatest triumphs._

_Clary came down the stairs as soon as the door bell rang and their house maid Anna answered it with a slight bow, that Clary had to hold herself from rolling her eyes at. _What is this the 1800's?_ She thought to herself. A young girl entered first, well not _that_ young, she was probably Clary's age, but at least a foot taller, excluding the height she got from her stiletto heels. After her came a little boy with curly brown hair, and another who looked about the girl's age. "Ah, Mr and Mrs Lightwood, I'm thrilled that you were able to make it," Clary heard Valentine say from behind her as she fully descended the stairs._

_The man, who Clary assumed was Mr. Lightwood, came forward and shook Valentine's hand firmly. The two of them had a small stare down for a few moments before Mr. Lightwood cracked a smile. "Thank you for inviting us," He said finally. Valentine directed them toward the dining room where there was already a few people Clary didn't recognize. She didn't hear them come in either, but they seemed to be in a rather developed conversation with her brother, who's head shot up when Clary entered the room._

_Jonathan stood from his chair abruptly and excused himself from the conversation, tilting his head to the side, telling Clary to follow him back out to the foyer. When the two of them were out of earshot from everyone else Jonathan whirled around and backed Clary up against a wall. "Where the hell did you go last night?" He growled, his teeth clenched tightly together. Clary swallowed hard and prayed to God that the cover up job she did on her neck and collar bone was holding up so Jonathan wouldn't see the evidence that was on her skin._

_"Simon found me and brought me home," She said, trying her best to sound cool and convincing. Jonathan studied her face for a few seconds with narrowed up. Like he was scanning her for a lie._

_"Bullshit," He sneered and Clary tried pushing him away, which only made him press against her harder. "If you don't tell me where you were last night I'm going to-"_

_The door swung open, interrupting Jonathan's sentence. He lingered closely to Clary's face, staring into her eyes threateningly before backing away from her, adjusting his suit jacket. Clary closed her eyes and let out a deep breath, giving herself a moment to recollect her thoughts. But when she pushed away from the wall and walked up beside her brother, she gasped, her mouth hanging open slightly and her body felt numb._

_Jonathan gave her an odd look, but rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Mr. Herondale," Jonathan said with a tight smile. "My father was hoping you would show up tonight."_

_The man that Jonathan was talking to had dark hair and tanned skin, but the kind of tan that came from working outside all the time. However, it wasn't the dark haired man she was looking at, it was the boy beside him. The boy who had beautiful blonde hair and golden eyes. The one who was smirking at her, with his arms drawn tightly against his chest. Clary tried to swallow but her mouth was dry and Jonathan was looking at her now._

_"I'm sorry, what?" She asked flicking her gaze back to her brother. "I told you to show our guests to the dining room." Jon's smile was tight and wiry but Clary couldn't worry about that right now. She was too worried about the way the blonde haired boy was looking at her like he was undressing her with his eyes._

_Clary led the guests into the dining room where everyone else was mingling and moved to the side, sinking into the wall to get out of the way. "We aren't finished," Jonathan said when he passed through the threshold, making sure to say it just loud enough so only Clary heard him._

_. . . ._

_It was a miracle that Clary made it through dinner, with her dad, Jonathan and the blonde boy, who Clary had found outs name is Jace, all staring hot daggers into her head the entire night. She tried to keep her eyes trained on her plate but it became increasingly harder the more she got questioned about her future plans and where she was going to be headed now that she graduated. Her father basically made her memorize the answers she gave, and she probably sounded like a robot as she said them practically verbatim._

_So when Valentine announced that the men were going to go downstairs Clary's body sank back into her chair in relief. The scrutinization was over, for now at least, and she felt like she could breath without cueing her father's scoff, telling her he did not approve._

_She excused herself quietly from the dining area, where all the wives and the tall female that came with the Lightwoods, Isabelle, were now gossiping about the latest gang wife that married into a family out in California. From what Clary heard, she was a gold digging, cradle robber, who jumped from gang member to gang member hoping to finally reach the top of a family someday._

_However, before she could make it to the stairs she was yanked into the sitting room doorway, that was just a few feet away from the stair well, and pushed, roughly, up against a wall. The room was dark and she couldn't really make out who was holding her there, but his hand was warm against her skin and his breath smelled like cinnamon so, it didn't really take long for Clary to guess._

_"Aren't you supposed to be in a meeting," She muttered trying to push free from the body that was barricading her in place. "Aren't you supposed to stay pure for your future husband," The male voice shot back with an arrogant chuckle and Clary's stomach rolled. One of his hands was holding himself up, pressed against the wall beside her head, while the other slowly brushed against her neck. "How did daddy like the artwork?" He joked, referencing the hickies he had left on her skin. Instinctively Clary's hand flew to her neck, but Jace pushed it away, holding her wrist against the wall now. "Don't worry, you did a pretty decent job covering them up." His shoulders shrugged and Clary's lips pursed together._

_"Did you know who I was last night?" Clary asked accusingly, and Jace's smile only spread wider. "Everyone knows who you are Clarissa." His finger drew a line from her jaw to her collar bone and Clary swallowed hard, trying to press herself against the wall, desperate to put distance between him and her. "I never would've guessed that before last night you were a cherry," He said smoothly, his hands still exploring her body at his own free will. "Please don't tell anyone," She whispered and Jace stopped his movements and looked up at her through half slotted eyes, clearly amused. He chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, I don't intend to. Do you think I have some kind of death wish?" He asked jokingly._

_"Just thought we could have a bit of fun before your sworn to your husband for the rest of your life." He made it sound so causal, like it was normal for an 18 year old to be sworn to a twenty something guy against her will. "Fun?" Clary questioned and Jace chuckled again._

_"I'm going to be here all summer." He shrugged and pressed his body into hers. "Might as well enjoy it eh?"_

_Clary opened her mouth to ask him what the hell he meant but his lips were already on hers, his hands folding around her hips pressing into the bruises that had already formed there. She couldn't help the spark that erupted in her stomach, or the fact that her hands immediately found the back of his head, pulling him down closer to her. He was intoxicating, and now that she had him once, no matter how messed up she was, she wanted more._

_Jace pulled away before Clary was ready to let go, a shit-eating-grin still plastered on his face. "Ah, ah, ah," He tutted wagging a finger in her face. "Not the time or place Miss. Morgenstern." He shook his head and winked, before he dropped both his arms and walked away form her. Leaving Clary completely breathless and confused._

* * *

_**Sorry it took so long to get a chapter out. I'm just going to have to stop promising schedules to you guys because God knows I can't stick to them. In my defense I haven't had internet for a couple weeks and I am in college so it's kind of difficult to write for fun, when I have to write all the time for class. **_

_**I hope you all like this though, I have been working a lot on the flashback of Jace and Clary's past for you guys while my internet was out, so hopefully my chapters will be out more frequently.**_

_**XXX Enjoy!**_


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